Yamaha has shipped their new UX256 USB MIDI interface. The UX256 is a 6 x 6 interface that supports 96 individual MIDI channels over your USB port. It includes drivers for Windows 98 and Mac.
Kind of Loud Technologies has been making some excellent surround oriented plug-ins for the Pro Tools environment (and others) They recently announced the development of new software for Pro Tools that will enable users to encode their own surround recordings into a matrix. SmartCode Pro will be available in both Dolby Digital and DTS versions. It is an AudioSuite program that allows Pro Tools users to preview in real time 5.1 mixes created by the Pro Tools software and the SmartPan Pro plug-in; then encode and decode the mix to create a 6-channel surround master. SmartCode Pro/Dolby Digital ($995 MSRP) and SmartCode Pro/DTS ($1995 MSRP) are expected to ship this fall.
M Audio has announced a companion to their Delta 1010 recording system, the Delta 1010-AI. The 1010 AI is an ADAT interface that provides a seamless way to move your audio tracks back and forth between ADAT machines and your computer recording system. This is not a totally new idea, but M Audio strikes a blow by offering it for a retail price of $299.95. Availability is slated for later this summer.
